The Aftermath: Scanning what happened, what lies ahead for Steelers
From the notebook of a sportswriter who hadn’t really thought much about the impending end of the season, of perhaps the era, until now, and for whom the abyss awaits:
n It’s like the smoke’s clearing on this season and we’re seeing it was all only a dream.
n Coach of the Year, Duck Season, elite defense; hey, there’s still another week, and still hope for the playoffs, but I think we can see that it’s now going to be four months of speculation about Ben Roethlisberger, followed by four more months of elbow updates, while wondering if a 38-year-old can recapture past magic.
n Yep, there’s still a week, but, man, it’s getting nasty out there. I walked my dog after the game, as seemingly the rest of the neighborhood did. One woman asked what I thought about JuJu Smith-Schuster. I asked why she would pick that one seemingly insignificant player from the loss to the Jets, and she said, “Well, he hasn’t played very well.”
n And then of course I returned home to the call-in show still on my TV as one fan after another complained about him. I don’t know how y’all take this stream of negativity every week.
n But Twitter was worse. The JuJu hate is unconscionable. Are we really talking about that fourth-down prayer that went over his head? The pass that kinda, from one angle, looked like it may have gone through his outstretched hands as he tried to twist his body? Really? The guy playing in pain at the end of an injury-plagued season?
n It’s almost like this hatred is propaganda, and the other side is actually winning. How stupid have we become? And we can’t blame the Russians for this one.
n Are we mad because he’s charismatic and likable? Because he doesn’t need traditional media to communicate to fans? Do we wait for the kid to screw up so that we in the media can, what, steal his following? How unconscionably dumb.
n Growing up in this business, I couldn’t stand the Pollyanna type of sportswriter. They were everywhere and we cool kids grew to mock them. But there’s actually a need for them these days in this age of self-pronounced expertise that we can’t escape.
n So, I guess I’m that pollyannish guy now. I’ve become that which I used to hate. And I’m OK with it.
n This game came down to one play, and Duck Hodges made his best throw of the game, even his career. He hit his target in middle of both hands — in the hay-baling, strong hands of James Washington — from 44 yards away. It would’ve been the game-winner had Marcus Maye not made the best play of his career to break it up.
n I believe some of you remember Maye coming out of Florida a couple of years ago. A lot of you liked him. A lot of you wanted the Steelers to draft him. Great call by you.
n So, the next pass — a prayer picked up off the ground after yet another poor shotgun snap — was heaved in the general direction of Smith-Schuster. It fell incomplete and the Christmas hatred in Pittsburgh was on.
n We could talk about the offensive line — and plenty are. I really can’t agree with the common perception that this group didn’t protect these young quarterbacks. However, the stat sheet says they allowed four sacks, so, your argument has merit. The sack when the Steelers were in tying-FG range with 10 minutes left is also proper fodder for the perception. The player came unblocked for the critical loss, and the next snap was again low and fumbled as the hope of a 13-13 tie was gone. But I still, really, don’t have a problem with the O-line. So much of that is on the quarterback.
n As I always say about assistant coaches, only the head coach knows who’s getting the job done. So, if Mike Munchak’s replacement this season, Shaun Sarrett, isn’t performing up to expectations, that’s up to Mike Tomlin to know and for him to act. But I’ve heard nothing negative about the young coach.
n I would use one of my early picks on an interior lineman to replace B.J. Finney, who’s likely a goner in free agency.
n My other early pick would be for a tight end, as I leave that potential void at blind-side pass-rusher alone.
n I’ll assume Bud Dupree is gone, also, but this HAS to be an offensive draft — and a boring offensive draft at that. Offensive linemen and tight ends in the second and third rounds are boring.
n The other criticism that has some merit is the play-calling once the Steelers crossed midfield. I don’t agree with the criticism, but it has a thousand percent more credence than the criticism of Smith-Schuster.
n There’s at least some math we can use as evidence: Seven times the Steelers had first down in Jets territory and only twice did they score points. But, otherwise, I’m not sure the criticism is valid. There was no discernible pattern to the play-calling. I mean, they tried everything and little worked.
n My only criticism is they didn’t hand the ball to Kerrith Whyte enough, especially after James Conner got hurt. Other than that, I’m just not as down on Randy Fichtner as the fan base. Such is the life of an offensive coordinator.
n What I did like about this game — and in the long run it may prove to be more important than winning or losing — was the return of Mason Rudolph. I’ve written a couple of times, and talked about it during radio spots, that he’s finally looked good again in practice these last couple of weeks. But I didn’t expect him to look as good as he did Sunday.
n Not sure what Dan Fouts was talking about during the broadcast, but Rudolph’s always been an accurate passer. His arm’s not as strong as Fouts was saying, but it’s strong enough. Rudolph also, for the first time since the Rams game, showed field presence. He put all of it together in directing the offense to 10 points in three first-half possessions.
n Rudolph’s third possession of the second half was doomed when Maurkice Pouncey got hurt. Finney stepped in the next play, and stepped on Rudolph’s foot as he was sacked on his shoulder and forced to leave the game soon thereafter.
n The performance by Rudolph put him back into the role of primary developmental backup behind Roethlisberger this coming offseason.
n Just as I warned not to write off Rudolph when his world came crashing down earlier this season, don’t write Hodges off either. Both of these young QBs have been through a grinding process. Diamonds are coal that’s been squeezed and pressured. Young quarterbacks are the same. The Steelers have at least developed depth at that crucial position this season.
n That thing about diamonds and coal, don’t hold me to that. I can throw some math out there every now and maybe fool some people, but my science, uh, no.
n So Rudolph’s re-emergence offers hope that he, as, say, Kirk Cousins, can eventually lead this outstanding defense deep into the playoffs should Roethlisberger not return to full health.
n Of course, that’s not going to shine much light into our coming abyss. It’s going to be long and difficult. Get your rest.